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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Firefighters and Paramedics from the Beltsville area were alerted to a 911 report of a child being injured after falling out of a open window of her home. At about 12:15 PM, Thursday, July 16, 2009, an ambulance and paramedics responded to the 10700 block of Home Acres Terrace in Beltsville. They were directed to the back deck of this 2-story, with above ground basement, single family home. A young female child had fallen through the screen of a second-story open window to the deck, 25-feet below. The child was assessed and transported to a specialty hospital for children with non-life threatening injuries. She is currently in "good" condition.

Firefighters and paramedics typically see these types of injuries during the spring and fall seasons, however, with a recent run of beautiful weather over the past week, many homes have their windows open. While supervision of young ones is the best line of defense to prevent injuries, injury prevention advocates understand that it is not always possible to maintain 100% vigilance over children, especially as they grow through the toddler years. There are some basic safety tips parents, caregivers and homeowners can take to help prevent these types of injuries. Safe Kids USA is an organization whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under.

They offer the following safety tips to prevent childhood falls:

All windows above the first floor should be equipped with window guards –o preferably guards with emergency release devices in case of a fire.

Open windows that are not protected by a window guard, at the top only; or use window stops so they can only be opened a few inches.

Never rely on window screens to prevent falls. “Window screens are designed to keep bugs out – not children in.”

LODD April 15, 2016

Fire Fighter/Medic Lieutenant John "Skillet" Ulmschneider

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Tragically firefighters will find pets that have been injured in home fires. Sometimes owners are not availiable to bring their pet to a emergency vet or may not have the resources to afford medical care. The Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department and the Anne Arundel County SPCA have teamed up and created a fund whereas medical care for the pet would be covered in part or in full.
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